Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/24/2022 | 1:30pm

    Today was crazy. Now, every day is of course, special out here- you never really know what you’re gonna get, much like a box of chocolates. But something truly wild happened on our journey today. 

    Kestrel rounded itself up and over the north side of San Juan Island and into the Haro Strait. We continued across the strait and over the US/Canadian border towards a Gray Whale that foraged off Sydney Island. This massive 45 foot whale...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.24.2022 | 12:30 PM 

M/V Sea Lion had the most beautiful day out on the water. There’s nothing quite like a boat ride on a 55-degree day in April. We boarded with clear skies and sunshine and knowledge of a group of Bigg’s killer whales near Tumbo Island. As we made our way up San Juan Channel, we passed some harbor porpoise and decided to make a quick stop at Flattop Island. Our “quick stop” swiftly turned into much more after spotting some river otters run...

Maxx K. | M/V Sea Lion | 04/12/2022 | 12:30pm

    I’m never going to forget today’s tour. 

    It’s not unusual to start a tour without any whale sightings. None of our whales are tagged and we rely on sightings and word of mouth to spot them. The fact of the matter is however, whales are here in the Salish Sea all year round, it’s just a matter of if there are individuals or vessels scanning the water to find them. Well, today we were insanely fortunate as a mere 5 minutes before...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 4.6.2022 | 12:30 PM

M/V Sea Lion left the dock with only a rumor to work off this afternoon. There was hearsay that someone saw killer whales heading southeast off South Beach around 8:30 am this morning. San Juan Safaris is part of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, and when there are no firm whale reports, the PWWA whale watching vessels will work together to divide and conquer. Captain Brian knew of another whale watching vessel that was headed to the...

Maxx K. | M/V Kestrel | 04/02/2022 | 1:30pm

Today was a big day! Today marked Kestrels first voyage of the 2022 season and it did not disappoint! I had forgotten how fast this vessel is- it can reach speeds of up to 40 kts (45ish mph)! It’s like flying. But boy oh boy is it also freezing. With an average water temperature of 45 degrees, the wind chill coming off the Salish Sea is no joke! But what is a little cold air when you’re hanging out with a family of Bigg’s Killer whales?

Soo...

Lauren | M/V Sea Lion | 3.24.2022 | 12:30 PM 

As M/V Sea Lion headed out of Friday Harbor and into San Juan Channel, we were immediately greeted by four Steller’s sea lions swimming near the coast of Friday Harbor Labs. This “stellar” encounter set the mood for the rest of the trip. If having a wildlife encounter within the first 5 minutes of leaving the dock isn’t a good sign, then I don’t know what is!

As we headed north, we stopped in Rocky Bay and got some good looks at a handful...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | 3/22/22 | 12:30PM 

It was a quintessential pacific northwest day as we left Friday Harbor this morning, overcast and foggy. As we puttered through Friday Harbor on our way to San Juan Channel, a guest noticed something moving in the water. A lone Steller Sea Lion was swimming right at the mouth of the Harbor! Quickly we realized that this large Pinniped was not alone, 3 other Steller’s and a stoic bald eagle sitting in the evergreens were spotted nearby.

First...

Lauren | March 21st, 2022 | M/V Sea Lion | 12:30 PM

We were off to a gloomy start this Monday morning, with constant rain showers and no reports of whales within our reach. As we began boarding, our luck started to turn around, the rain started to slow, and the mood brightened up. M/V Sea Lion was full of inquisitive and excited kiddos today, and we were eager to show them The Salish Sea! Captain Eric heard there were some Bigg’s Killer Whales up near Prevost Island, but the report...

Kelly | M/V Sea Lion | March 19th, 2022 | 12:30pm

Just as we were puttering out of Friday Harbor, we received one vague whale report. The land-based report stated four killer whales heading south in upright channel, just outside Friday Harbor! It seemed suspiciously convenient…almost too good to be true. Excited, we zoomed over to the mouth of upright channel and scanned the water in the hopes of spotting some black and white dolphins. We scanned and scanned, but no sign of Killer...

Haleigh | M/V Sea Lion | October 6, 2021 | 12:00 pm

There is a plethora of wildlife that can be seen in the Salish Sea. Today’s trip highlighted the many animals that can be seen, especially if we give the trip the time and space to fully develop. We left the dock in search of a reported group of whales traveling. In our pursuit to find them, one of our guests spotted a Humpback Whale traveling across the stern of our boat. It was an incredible find as this whale was barely...